פירוש על במדבר 14:35

אני ה׳ דברתי אם לא זאת אעשה, "I the Lord have spoken, surely this I will do, etc." Why did G'd have to announce that it was He who had been saying all this? Did we not know this? What is the meaning of the words אם לא זאת אעשה? Why did G'd repeat שם ימותו, "they will die there?" This was implied already by the words "they will be consumed in this wilderness." I believe we have to approach this verse by concentrating on the attribute G'd applies to Himself here. He describes Himself as השם, i.e. as the attribute of Mercy. It is an announcement by G'd that the attribute of Mercy concurred with the decision of the attribute of Justice. G'd emphasised דברתי, "I spoke these harsh words," to show that even the attribute of Mercy had to associate itself with this decree. In the event that we would wonder how the attribute of Mercy could agree to subject the people of Israel to such harsh punishment, G'd said "if I do not do this, etc." He meant that If He did not now decree death but extended His patience even longer, in the end He would not only have to deny them life on earth now but He would have to deny them life in the hereafter. This would be due to future acts of spurning G'd of which the Israelites would become guilty. The words במדבר הזה יתמו "they will be consumed in this desert," mean that they would die in שלמות, i.e. that at the time of their deaths their bodies would expire, ושם ימותו, and in the hereafter their souls would die. The only way G'd could forestall such a development was to let them die in the desert now so that they would not also forfeit any chance at a life in the hereafter (according to the view expressed in Sanhedrin 108 that the generation of the desert had not forfeited their life in the hereafter).

אני ה' דברתי, “I the Lord have spoken, etc.” This expression is equivalent to the rendering of an irrevocable decree; seeing that it is accompanied by an oath it could not be revoked. Although it could not be revoked, it's application could be delayed. Moses’ prayer accomplished that execution of the decree was spread over almost forty years.

V. 35. העדה הרעה וגו׳ sind alle die selbständigen Männer, הנועדים עלי, die in der Empörung gegen mich ihre Einigung gefunden. במדבר הזה יתמו: ihre Bestimmung geht nicht über diese Wüste hinaus, sie werden aus dieser Wüste nicht hinauskommen.

אם לא זאת אעשה, “surely this I will do;” we have here three short verses all dealing with the same subject. 1) You will not get to see the land you were to have made your home in. 2) You will not even enter it. 3) This will include your whole congregation [the ones who were 20 years old at the time of the Exodus. Ed.]

הנועדים עלי, “that have ganged up against Me.” They did so by trying to stone My representatives on earth. They traded My honour for something infinitely inferior.